Celebrate "Halfway to St. Patrick's Day" at Raglan Road This Saturday!

We had an AWESOME time at Raglan Road on St. Patrick’s Day this year, and I wanted to remind you that this fun Irish Restaurant and Pub in Orlando’s Downtown Disney is putting on another huge party this weekend!

Yep — Raglan Road is celebrating the half-way mark to St. Patrick’s Day with live entertainment, beer, Irish dancing, beer, competitions, beer, and great giveaways! Why wait till March to put your green on?

When: Join in the fun THIS SATURDAY — September 17th, 2011!
Where: Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant, Downtown Disney, Orlando, FL.
Cover Charge: NONE!!!

Guinness anyone?

Entertainment

The U2 tribute band, Elevation, is back to perform their incredible show on the stage(s) at Raglan Road. And I speak from experience that [Read more…]

Upcoming Disney World Menu Changes: Rose & Crown, Beaches & Cream, and Sanaa

By AJ 16 Comments

We’ve had a couple of menu update reports from friends of the Food Blog over the past couple of days! Here’s what we’re finding out…

Rose & Crown Restaurant

A new lunch menu started September 14th at the Rose & Crown in Epcot’s United Kingdom.

New Rose and Crown Menu - click for larger version

Thanks to @scarlettashley1 for the breaking-news tweet!

Sanaa

Over at Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Kidani Village, Sanaa will update its menu slightly this Fall. Our source isn’t sure of all the new details, but Sanaa will likely add [Read more…]

How To Take Visually Delicious Food Photographs

By AJ 18 Comments

Please welcome guest author Tom Bricker, photographer extraordinaire, to the DFB! He and his wife, Sarah, operate DisneyTouristBlog.com, a website featuring accounts of their adventures at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. I’ve LONG been a fan of Tom’s photography, so I’m so honored to have his expertise on the blog. Now, let me get my pen so I can start taking notes…

Photographing food at the Disney theme parks can be tricky. If you’ve ever taken a photo of your plate of food and looked at the LCD screen to find a blurry photo with odd colors, you know this.

The low and uneven lighting in many Disney restaurants can wreak havoc on a camera’s sensor, and bland composition can further reduce the visual appeal of food photos — even when the dishes photographed are especially mouth-watering! However, with just a few small changes to how you photograph food, you can achieve much better results. Here are my tips to producing visually delicious food photos:

Considering Photo Composition

Regardless of whether you’re using a DSLR or a point & shoot camera, composition is extremely important. It may sound funny to think of composition when photographing food; after all, it’s just a plate of food, right? How many different ways are there to photograph a plate of food?! Surprisingly, there are a lot of different ways, and the way you choose can [Read more…]

WDW Foodie Fest Scavenger Hunt Sneak Peek!

By AJ 11 Comments

Only 18 days until our second annual WDW Foodie Fest in Walt Disney World!!

As you know, we’ve already announced two more WDW Foodie Fest events (for a total of four!), but we’ve got more news today on our Main Event!

WDW Foodie Fest Main Event

Taking place on October 2, 2011, from 11am-1pm at Disney’s Beach Club Resort, the WDW Foodie Fest Main Event is an Open House full of food (just ordered even more Mickey Bars and Mickey Rice Krispie Treats for the menu!) and games (should you have the inclination). All are welcome!

But for those of you who are a bit more adventurous, we also prepare a WDW Foodie Fest Scavenger Hunt through the Epcot Food & Wine Festival! (Guests will need Epcot admission if they’d like to take part in the Scavenger Hunt.)

Scavenger Hunt Sneak Peek

Similar to last year’s Hunt, we’ll have two options: the “Grown-Ups” hunt and the “Family” hunt. Usually, kids over the age of 8 should be able to handle the “Grown-Ups” hunt — it’s just a bit tougher than the “Family” hunt, which is designed for younger kids to enjoy.

When you arrive at the WDW Foodie Fest, grab a Mickey Bar and head on out to Epcot with your Scavenger Hunt clues. Those who finish and get the correct answer to the master clue at the end of the Hunt will be entered in our drawing for prizes!!

Could ice cream be the answer?

This year’s Scavenger Hunt is nearing completion, and we wanted to give you a sneak peek at a couple of the questions! Do you know the answers…?

What is the street address number of La Hacienda de San Angel?

What Funnel Cake topping in the American Adventure pavilion costs just $1.00?

What animal can be found above the [Read more…]

Snack Series: Fudge Brownie and Strawberry Shortcake Sundaes at Storybook Treats

By AJ 21 Comments

UPDATE: Please note that as of June 2015, the Fudge Brownie and Strawberry Shortcake Sundaes are no longer being served at Storybook Treats.

I’d been hearing from far and wide about the yummy sundaes at Storybook Treats (formerly Mrs. Potts’ Cupboard) in Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland, and while doing research for our DFB Mini-Guide to Magic Kingdom Snacks I finally got to try them!

There are plenty of sweet options at this little stand, sandwiched between Friar’s Nook and The Many Adventure’s of Winnie the Pooh. But some of the best known are the Strawberry Shortcake Sundae and the Fudge Brownie Sundae.

What makes these stand out in the Magic Kingdom? Well, at many stands this size you’ll find the option to purchase soft service ice cream and cookies, but this is one of the only spots that offers unique dessert options like the sundaes (you really can’t get these at other [Read more…]

Get an 80% Discount on Restaurant Gift Certificates Through 9/14

By Kim LaPaglia 2 Comments

Foodie Alert! Restaurant.com is offering an 80% discount on many Disney World and Orlando Restaurant gift certificates purchased through September 14th. This means you can get $25 gift certificates for $2 each! Simply use code SAVE in the discount code box at check-out.

You can see details about Restaurant.com and check out which Disney World-area restaurants are included in the program on our Restaurant.com gift certificate program page.

Here’s how it works:

Step 1: [Read more…]

Two New Snacks: Chocolate Cappuccino Cupcake and North Bay Smoothie

By Kim LaPaglia 19 Comments

Learn About:Toy Story Pizza Planet

Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney World Restaurants

Two NEW snacks have popped up in Walt Disney World recently! Thanks to DFB Readers for keeping us informed of the additions…and for adding your reviews!

Chocolate Cappuccino Cupcake at Toy Story Pizza Planet

Thanks to Katie Kelter for reporting on this Chocolate Cappuccino Cupcake that was recently spotted (and devoured)!

This out-of-this world food find occurred in Disney’s Hollywood Studios at the Toy Story Pizza Planet restaurant. Katie says that the delicious and pretty cupcake was likely created at Starring Rolls Cafe as she hasn’t seen anything so gorgeous at this quick service location. Until now.

Chocolate Cappuccino Cupcake

Katie’s review: The chocolate cake was moist and had a nice chocolate flavor, and the frosting was [Read more…]

Adventures by Disney Mediterranean Magic: The Pizza Farm

By Erin 12 Comments

Disney Food for Families columnist Erin Foster takes us with her on her summer vacation, European travel – Disney style. This was a three-part trip which included two Adventures by Disney packages (Barcelona Escape and Mediterranean Magic), plus a Mediterranean cruise on the Disney Magic, all sandwiched together. Her trip of a lifetime included culture, relaxation, breathtaking scenery, and of course, plenty of food.

Welcome sign.

I went to a pizza farm this summer.

Well, we weren’t exactly picking pizza off trees during my Mediterranean Magic Adventures by Disney trip last month, but we did the next best thing — making pizza at a family-run farm that grew all the components of our meal right there on site.

For those of you unfamiliar with Adventures by Disney, this is an arm of the company which offers high-end group tours of locales in Europe, Asia, South American, Central America, North America, and Africa. There’s no Mickey Mouse stuff on your Adventure, just world-class service provided by Disney-trained guides who give you unprecedented access to activities and attractions. The pizza farm experience is included in the 2012 Central Italy Family Vacation tour. If you’re looking for a taste of what to expect on that trip, read on.

Snacks at the Pizza Farm.

Visiting The Pizza Farm

The pizza farm visit occurred on [Read more…]

Preview of Food-Related Disney Vinylmation to be Served Up Soon

By Erin 4 Comments

Our Vinylmation Guru, Erin Foster, has the latest on upcoming foodie vinyl releases!

Disney certainly has a lot on its plate in Vinylmation-land. This past weekend Walt Disney World hosted an event called The Florida Project, a key component of which was meets and seminars for Disney pin and Vinylmation traders and collectors. Many thanks to Cody Smith of Global Disney Pinvestigation for his reporting from this event.

A highlight of the Vinylmation Florida Project news was the announcement of future series releases and the unveiling of teaser figures from those series. Upcoming sets will include Seven Dwarves Vinylmation Juniors, Cutesters at the Beach, Alice in Wonderland, Park Classics, This and That Juniors, more Park and Urban, Nerd Figment and Stitch, Haunted Mansion, Sports Teams, Chinese Zodiac, and many more.

But of course food-related Vinylmations are the favorite with Disney Food Blog readers and the Florida Project teasers have given us more than enough to whet our appetites. Here’s what Disney is cooking up:

Kitchen Kabaret Vinylmation

A set based on the late great Kitchen Kabaret attraction at Epcot’s Land Pavilion. Unconfirmed reports have this as an open box set priced at approximately $75.00. No word yet on a release date.

Kitchen Kabaret!

Very Merry Goofy

This Goofy with an awesome lollipop accessory is coming in [Read more…]

Review: Paradiso 37 Drinks, Appetizers, and Dessert

By AJ 14 Comments

Learn About:Paradiso 37

Disney Springs
Disney World Restaurants

Paradiso 37 in Orlando’s Downtown Disney has been one of my favorite tapas and drinks places in Walt Disney World since it opened on Pleasure Island back in 2009 (…back when Pleasure Island was Pleasure Island).

Today, even though Paradiso has lost a few of its neighbors, it’s still going strong (in my opinion) and offering some of my favorite appetizers and margaritas on property.

A few weeks ago, Erin Foster and I stopped into Paradiso (at my urging — I hadn’t been there in WAY too long) for some eats and treats.

Paradiso 37 Entrance

Atmosphere

Once again, I was reminded when walking into Paradiso 37 that this restaurant is all about fun — and all different kinds of fun at that!

The martini-glass-and-tequila-bottle chandelier hanging over the foyer is a good indication that this restaurant means business when it comes to happy hour.

Paradiso 37 Bar Glasses Chandelier

And the floor-to-ceiling tequila bar centerpiece showcases [Read more…]

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